crazy8s

They are two very different players with different abilitiies. Jones was athletic but not like Whitfiled is - when she turns it on it is pretty darn impressive. I agree with your comments on the shooting of Jones though, she was fun to watch, and man, she could shoot. Whitfield has speed with the ball but doesn't finish nearly as well yet- she was only a freshman though and who knows how good she will be in the end. The sky is the limit with her but Whitfield has more players around her that can score so I do think that will make a difference in her stats and she may not put up the scoring numbers but that is not such a bad thing either. Percentage wise, Jones shot in the mid 40's for her career with a lot more attempts (not sure about the 3 pt % etiher )and let's not forget that Jones drew double teams/best defenders every night while still averaging 20+ ppg - big difference between a senior campaign and a freshman season IMO. I really don't think anyone will come close to her free throw percentage/attempts in the region for awhile- not only did she lead the state her senior year, I believe that she is in the record books for her career as well - over 82-83% or something like that.

My statement about the "bet class ever" was in reference to the number of talented players that this class has - numbers wise that can play and have a pretty high basketball IQ, not who will produce the best player ever for the school. As for Whitfield as a player, there is no doubt that she is way more athletic than Jones, and even with that talent, I am not sure she will ever be the type of shooter that Jones was. She may lack the heart and work ethic that Lauren had- the verdict is still out on that. Jasmine has HUGE potential to be a big time player and big time college recruit but not sure the motivation is there for her like it was for Jones.

You hit the nail on the head here! Have to be able to put the ball in the hole. Starting positons are a long way from being determined though as the younger sophomore class is pushing everyone for playing time. It is fun to speculate, we all do it all the time on this blog, don't we. I would say Whitfield, McGuffin, Haylsey, and Dye - which leaves the 3 spot and that is a toss up right now IMO. Some detailed observations as always ColonelMike- thanks.

South played very very poorly in the region tournament on their home floor so I can see why you may not be impressed. Youth got the best of them last year but they are a much more mature, improved team this year- still very young with a nucleus of 5/6 sophomores that will become the best class of ball players EVER at their school in all likelihood. Simon at Simon will be tough but two years ago, South beat Shelby on their home floor and no one thought that would happen either. Anything can happen.

Well said Retropop!

I guess i was thinking more from an offensive perspective. i can see what you are saying though, especially for a trapping defense, but the physical nature/style of their players can be intimidating enough for most opponents. I am not confident that it will matter as much as you think it will. I think this year may be more about guard play IMO.

The only team that I can think of that has a tall player, over 6 ft. , is Anderson unless I am missing someone else. South has a few that are 5'10 or so. Lape from Oldham is 5'8?? I am just not sure if size will play a part this year IMO. Guard pressure may be enough to win the whole thing. Who are the other tall players in the region?

I do understand your point but I give them the edge because of their hard-nosed defense and how that presents problems for most teams in the 8th region. Some of their players also have big time game experience from the state tournament which should also benefit them. There is a very good chance that they will get de-throned this year but I highly respect Jeff Stowers and what he gets his players to do on defense. No one other than Anderson has much size in the post position, so I am not sure if that is really much of a factor this year. If so, Anderson would have the edge there.

I feel it will come down who has the best supporting cast. The larger schools seem to have that more than the smaller ones. Can Owen, WV, Carroll or Gallatin step it up if Gayhart, Dixon, Devine or Hill get shut down. To me, that will be the difference between the top 5 I have listed and the rest of the field. This statement says it all and I have been wondering the same thing. This is where South Oldham may have the advantage as they have a deep bench and lots of players who can step up and score. You just cannot focus on one player with them. An agressive pressure man-type defense seems to bother these teams so it will be interesting to see how they handle it.

I have been holding my thoughts on this for awhile so here goes. Anderson has the potential to really make some noise- they are young but a very talented group plus they are taught to be physical. Same with Simon Kenton- again another physical team but they did lose alot to graduation. South Oldham in most eyes seems to be the favorite and their team can go deep with only 2 seniors and 1 junior. Their soph class is loaded with talent (6 or 7 of them ) and it is hard to tell just how good they will be until they play some games this season. The big plus for them is that any can score so you don't have just one person to focus on to stop. That has not always been the case for them in the past. They too can be physical. The pressure of dealing with the big games may be there only weakness and that showed last year at the region tournament. Since Simon has the most experience in the big games, I will give the nod to them as #1 for now. I do think the team that plays the best man defense will win it all and that is an area where Owen may have a disadvantage with their lack of size. 1. Simon Kenton 2. South Oldham 3. Anderson 4. Owen/Oldham 5. Walton Verona

I agree about several things here. Since this is a basketball blog, I am going to put the emphasis on that particular sport and also the education. First, I have children in the Oldham County school system and I am floored every year by the school fees that we pay every year for just school - locker fee, technology fee, book fees( and oh by the way they don't always have enough books to bring them home as they share them with other classes) or class fees plus all the supplies. I would think since it is a public school there were not be any fees - never have understood that but oh well. It is usually at least $100 or more plus all the supply cost which is usually close to another $100 bucks or more. On top of that we pay big time property taxes for the schools. Second- in relation to basketball- there are no organized teams till middle school, and that puts them very behind, skill wise when they get to middle/high school which makes it tough for a coach. Since there are three high schools, administrators like it because more kids get the opportunity to play, but more does not necessary constitute to better as it relates to competitve athletics. It is all about fairness and making sure that everyone can feel good about themselves. Go Upward!!! Some kids on these teams woul not even make the freshman team at other schools. Thus, why you won't see a "powerhouse" type of team come out of Oldham County year after year. Overall, the bball talent in the county is average, especially when you compare it to Jefferson Co Schools and there is an even larger desparity with the private schools. There are some strong players however, the overall number of bball players(who go out for the team) to the total school popualtion is very, very low. Athletic fees are reasonable but mostly it is the parents/players that want all the sports gear which is where the majority of the cost lies. Uniforms are there, it all the practice gear, hoodies, sweat suits, and stuff that make it expensive. If a player cannot afford it, the school works with them and it does not keep them from participating. Coaching can be a thankless job and when you have the academic pressures of "Award Winning Oldham County Schools" all the time- it can be tough.

Very true - have seen that happen way to often. Give up bball in hs to focus on soccer and then they don't even make the varsity team.....crazy. I have also heard that parents like soccer better because more kids get to play at one time and if you ar going to have to pay money, you might as well play soccer because you have a better chance to play.

I do agree that club volleyball does pull talent from girls basketball and there are not too many players that are doing both, especially if they are the talented, taller ones. They could do both and I am not sure if it is the high school or club coaches who encourage that but I know that they make it difficult to do so. Club soccer also does the same thing and we see that as well in Oldahm Co - sad that they have to choose and cannot do both. I think that has hurt the number of quality of high school girls teams and why you have dominate powerhouses year fter year.

Here is the link from an article in the courier journal today: http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090716/SPORTS05/907160355/1002/sports/Top+basketball+players+to+meet+in+East/West+Junior+Game

You are very correct in your statement!

I would agree that both OH and IN do a better job with their AAU teams but there are still many teams out there that do not practice but just play games. If your child is going to play AAU, you need to "interview" the team and coach to make sure it is what you are looking for. There are good and bad AAU teams/coaches, you just have to find the correct one. Unfortunately, some people do not understand that and get caught up in the "my daughter plays AAU...." There are also some coaches out there that are more about their ego then they are about the players. Sounds like you have seen a great example of what it can be which is good.

Niether would mine but I am afraid to say that is not the case with today's generation. Open enrollment makes it easy and "district transfers" help as well. It would be better if they did not allow either but I don't see that changing any time soon. In my day, you went where you went and that was final. People have gotten very creative and find ways around the system - sad but true. AAU can be a good thing for players who want to play while their school team takes a break or they are not as "committed" to basketball. It also aids top players to compete against better competition which they should be able to bring that back to help their school team so I see a plus there. As for any negatives, probably not enough time practicing basic skills as most time is devoted to games. I do think that basketball IQ level is not what it use to be and some of the basic skills are not taught - it is all about games, games, games. Games are great but you have to have the basic skillset and that needs to keep improving all the time. Most AAU teams have success by fc pressing and scoring layups but when they are not able to do that and are forced to run a half- court set, they fail. IMO too much emphasis is placed on athleticism and not enough on skill. Some of the players you see are very athletic but cannot make a simple lay-up, pass with their opposite hand, or play help defense. I know I am old school- sorry

Good points about both Oldham and Simon. I give coach Stowers much credit for getting his kids to play hard-nosed man defense- that to me is the difference that i still see for at least this year. Defense creates offense and their type of pressure has caused havoc the last couple of years. Maybe they won't be able to pull it off. I know the Figgins twins graduated but I was thinking they had some younger ones with size. As for Oldham, they will be competitive but their bench is lacking IMO. South has a deep bench which may give them an edge there and I still think the young kids at Anderson are going to make some noise too. I think the region this year will be won on the defensive end.

IMO Simon is the team to beat. Both South and Anderson have tons of young talent but not sure if either of them have the experience to win the BIG game and both will make lots of noise over the next several years. I am not sure if Oldham is deep enough to make a real run like you seem to think but that is what makes this stuff fun!

I was referring to the Wednesday night at Shelby Co. and Dye was not there. South played Shelby and Spencer(not Anderson) that night -my mistake on that. They played Shelby again and Anderson on Thursday and did have the four players that you mentioned. The other player of the 4 could be Housely(so) or maybe Bray who will also be a senior. Summer ball is what it is - games. I do not think that anyone should hang their hat , gamble the farm, or predict the region champion based on the results of summer ball. I am just stating that South like most of the other teams, has not had everyone every night either.

Actually that is not the case- key player and starter was not there the night they beat both Anderson and Shelby- I believe that was Wednesday night at Shelby Co and I think that there may have been another starter that was also missing that night. Perhaps we have a different view of who are the key players at South. South has McGuffin (sr) coming back who will be key but much will lie in their talented sophomore class who did a bulk of the scoring last year.

You hit this dead on! Head coaches in Oldham Co have to teach in the class room and they have to carry a full load of classes- they are not given any breaks or extra planning periods and there is tons of admin to do along with coaching. Oldham is BIG on test scores and keeps adding more admin work all the time. Not easy to do both. Why so many leave for Jefferson Co - more money and a better class schedule!

Just an FYI- South has not had all their players all summer either- they may have had full crew at Georgetown camp but did not have everyone over at Shelby Co. I do agree that summer ball doesn't really mean anything so no one needs to become over confident at this point. I would still say that Simon is the favorite until someone beats them and South definitely has an opportunity this year. Not sure that there are 5 or 6 teams that can really make a run at it and with Oldham losing Caoch Just, I would say they are at a big disadvantage.

It is unfortunate for Oldham especially since it will mean the third coach in three years- that is very tough for the players. Coach Just did an good job for them but an opportunity to coach in the 6th region for Butler is a very desirable coaching position. Hard for Oldham to understand I am sure.

Double wow- I have not heard anything out here but we are usually the last to know. If it is Larry, that is probably a good move for him.